A Gamemaker's Guide to Training Scores
by GalacticFairydust
Summary: Have you ever wondered how tributes obtain their training scores and the meaning of each score from one to twelve? Gamemakers discuss training scores along with notable private sessions from past Games. One shot from the point of view of a new Gamemaker. An unspecified Hunger Games.


**Author's Note: Hey, this is my first ever fanfiction! I'd appreciate your feedback on what I'm doing well, what I'm doing not so well, and how I can improve. The purpose of my story's to give Hunger Games authors a better idea of what scores they should give tributes in their stories and to entertain you. Hope you enjoy!**

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 **POV of Gamemaker Felix Aurelius**

Me a Gamemaker, I can't believe I got the job. Last year, Head Gamemaker Severus Justice allowed half the tributes in a frozen tundra arena to freeze to death. Needless to say, President Snow wasn't pleased with all those bloodless deaths and Severus paid with his life. This opened up a space among Gamemaker ranks and one of my closest friends, Celsus, convinced me to apply for the job.

I've always been curious as to what it's like inside the training centre gymnasium. It's even bigger than I imagined. In my comfortable velvet plush seat on the Gamemakers' panel, I look around the gym and see the tributes training to hone their skills on their last day of training. The volunteer tributes from one, two, and four dominate the weapon stations. The girls from one, two, and four appear to be having a knife throwing competition between each other. The boy from one is working with spears and the boy from two is sparring with a trainer. There are sounds of a sword hitting the dummies, as the boy from four is shows off his sword skills. They all seem to be in an alliance this year, as usual. Aside from them, the boy from seven is working with axes and he's fairing quite well, considering the fact he's from the lumber district. The girl from five timidly picks up a bow and arrow, attempting to shoot. The rest of the tributes are scattered across various survival stations, the climbing wall, and the obstacle course.

I hear the lunch bells go off and look on as the tributes file out into the lunchroom. It hits me that private sessions are next, I'm still not too sure on how to evaluate and score, anxious to do a good job in my first year. Noticing the chatter between my fellow Gamemakers, I decide to join in some of the conversation, to hopefully clarify some of my doubts on training scores. I make my way across the panel over to Celsus, with him a woman who smiles maliciously when she sees me. An uneasiness creeps over me. There's definitely something off with her.

"Felix, how are you? This is Tatiana by the way," Celsus greets me.

"I'm - " I begin.

"Eyy Felix! Welcome on the job! You're gonna love it. I mean we get to _control_ what happens in the arena and _do_ something about it when the tributes are being boring by sending mutts at them!" interrupts Tatiana.

"I'm good thanks," I start again. "Hi Tatiana."

I politely extend my hand out to her and she takes it, with an evil glint in her eye.

"Uh… So private sessions and training scores next…" I trail off, hoping to get some help.

I'm left hanging as Tatiana raises an eyebrow and a sneer begins to form on the corner of her lips, but Celsus picks up on me, "Right, it's your first year. Let's go over this together, Tatiana you can help me. So the way private sessions work is the tributes are called in one by one for us to evaluate and give a score from one to twelve based on how well they can use weapons and survive."

I nod, already familiar with this. I've been watching the scores announced on television for as long as I can remember.

Celsus continues, "The male tribute from each district goes first, followed by the female, and in district order as usual. So the district one male will go first with the district twelve female finishing."

"Usually I'm too incoherent to be aware of any of the district twelves. I've heard that outer district tributes have never really been interesting anyway, so I'm probably not missing much," remarked Tatiana offhandedly.

"Each tribute gets ten minutes to show us their chosen skill or skills," said Celsus.

"Or if their performance is getting too boring, we can just dismiss them early." added Tatiana.

Celsus corrects her, "We can dismiss them _if we feel like we've seen enough to evaluate their skill_."

I think I can keep all of that straight, but I voice my concern about what I'm most curious and least familiar about, "What about the training scores, how do you decide on what to score each tribute based on what they show us?"

"Ah yes I was getting to that. It's one of our most important duties as Gamemakers actually," said Celsus.

"Could you explain what each score from one to twelve means and how a tribute can get each of those scores, starting from one?" I asked.

"Sure," Celsus begins to explain, "Pretty much the only way a tribute could get a one is by not showing up, or showing up and not going to any station, just standing there and doing nothing the whole time."

I don't remember seeing any tribute ever scoring a one on television before, no wonder why, they literally have to do nothing.

"I don't think we've ever had a tribute get a one, at least not during my time as a Gamemaker. Every tribute I've seen so far has attempted some sort of skill during their private session, no matter how badly they sucked at it," said Tatiana.

"Which brings me to the score of two. A tribute would have to show up and attempt some skills, either with weapons or survival, but do so very poorly to get a two," said Celsus.

Tatiana suddenly pipes up, "Oh and Felix, you know that boy from last year who got a two? You remember him?"

I ponder for a while, trying to think back. "Yea?" I say slowly.

"Well I don't remember his name, was it Roger? Ronald? Rodney?" questioned Tatiana.

"Robert," added Celsus.

"Yea him. I think you should know that he failed miserably in his private session. He attempted to use swords and first went for a heavy, intimidating looking one. I had to hold back a snigger, there was no way he could've lifted that. I was right, he couldn't, so he kept trying lighter and lighter ones. Eventually after a few minutes, it was _about time_ , he found a sword he could pick up. A second later though, he dropped it on his foot and started bawling like a baby. I _swear_ it's the funniest thing I'd ever seen. Needless to say, he scored a two and in the Games the district one girl caught him at the end of the bloodbath. She slowly tortured him to death. Gold standard entertainment that was!" said Tatiana.

Poor boy, he had to enter the Hunger Games at twelve, such a young age. He didn't deserve to die so horribly in the bloodbath. I felt bad for him when I was watching last year.

Tatiana says mockingly, "I'll have to give him some credit though, at least he was fun for me to watch. I mean, the performances of tributes who score a four or five are so generic, they make me wanna fall asleep,"

I'm starting to develop a dislike towards Tatiana. She's just taking it too far now, I doubt that she has a heart. Celsus is on the same page as me, so he redirects the conversation back to training scores, "So for a tribute to score a three, they'd have to attempt something and show poor weapon skills or mediocre survival skills."

"Any score below three is widely considered a very low training score," asserted Tatiana.

"Thank you Tatiana," Celsus acknowledges. "To get a four, a tribute would have to again, attempt some skills, but do so to a better level than a tribute who'd be given a three. In other words, show mediocre weapon skills or average survival skills. It's a low average score for an outer district tribute."

"For a five, mediocre weapon skills or good survival skills have to be shown by a tribute," contributes Tatiana, "A very average score for an outer district tribute, probably the score I've given out the most.

"Indeed, it's the most common score that's been given in the history of the Hunger Games, according to our archives containing all the information on the Games," said Celsus.

That's certainly an interesting bit of trivia only Gamemakers would have access to, I'm still getting used to the perks this job brings.

Tatiana goes on, "I've seen these kinds of performances from tributes like ten hundred thousand times so I just zone out on them after a while. My attempts on getting the Head Gamemaker to dismiss such tedious tributes haven't been working so far. Hopefully since that Severus nutter is gone, the new Head Gamemaker might start listening to my brilliant ideas. Cutting out boring performances will save the tributes and us some time. Severus was always too soft with the tributes, I mean allowing them to freeze to death quietly? Come on! That's so - "

Celsus, fed up with her, interrupts, " _So_ showing fair weapon skills or a range of great survival skills would get a tribute a score of six, which is a high average score for an outer district tribute." Without stopping, Celsus continues, "Showing fair weapon skills or a wide range of excellent survival skills would get a tribute a score of seven, which is a fairly high score for an outer district tribute."

"Oh oh oh I remember this girl who got a seven, with what she did in berry identification during her private session. Damn! She got guts, you gotta give her that," said Tatiana animatedly.

I wonder what she did, it must've been interesting. Before I even ask, Celsus answers my question, "Felix, you've got to know this. It's probably one of the most daring things I've seen a tribute do! She did berry identification with a pile of berries, some edible and some poisonous. First she picked out the poisonous berries, while giving a description on what they look like and how they're different from similar looking edible ones. At this point, she was heading for a score of about five. Then she did something none of us expected. After she'd picked out and described all of the poisonous berries, she grabbed all the berries left in the pile and stuffed them all in her mouth, without first checking whether she'd left any poisonous ones in that pile."

I tense up at that. What if she had mixed up some of the berries and died?

"I was betting with some of the other Gamemakers that she'd die," said Tatiana amusedly.

"I was literally on the edge of my seat, poised and ready to call a medic the second if she collapses, in case she accidentally ate any poisonous berries. Thankfully that wasn't necessary, she was alright," said Celsus relieved.

"Though part of me still wishes she misidentified some of the berries and died when she ate them," Tatiana says as her lips curl into a cruel smirk, "I would have laughed so hard in her face. Those district swine never learn do they? They always take stupid risks, like what they did trying to overthrow the all powerful Capitol all those years ago. That's what landed them in this Hunger Games mess."

Celsus and I exchange uncomfortable looks. I have to hold back the anger that's starting to burn in me. The district people produce everything we use after all. I don't know if Tatiana picks up on this because then she says, "So Celsus, what'd you say gets a tribute an eight?"

Celsus looks noticeably relieved that Tatiana steered the conversation back on track. He quickly pulls his expression into a neutral one before beginning, "They'd have to show good weapon skills. It's typically a high score for an outer district tribute and a lower end score for the skilled volunteer tributes from districts one, two, and four. I'd give an eight to a tribute who can hit a target around 80% of the time with projectile weapons."

I nod as I take this in.

"Nines are given to tributes who show great weapon skills. It's a very high score for an outer district tribute and an average score for the volunteer tributes from one, two, and four. A nine is a step up from an eight where I'd give it to a tribute using projectile weapons if they could hit a target around 90% of the time," said Celsus.

I wonder how hand to hand combat and sparring would be scored, Celsus hasn't mentioned this yet. "How would you score close range combat?"

"I'd look at their weapon wielding technique, how well they can attack, how well they can block attacks, and their tactics," said Celsus.

"And if or how quickly they can defeat a trainer or more than one trainer, if they get injured in the process or manage not to…" added Tatiana.

Celsus says, "You've just got to use your best judgement and give them the score your gut feeling thinks they best deserve."

"Alright," I said uncertainly.

"Now for a ten, they'd have to show excellent weapon skills. If they're using a projectile weapon, to deserve a ten they'd have to able to hit the target around 95% of the time," said Tatiana.

Celsus adds to what she's mentioned, "It's an exceptionally high score for an outer district tribute and a higher end score for the volunteer tributes - "

"Yes!" I notice Tatiana getting excited again. "Speaking of volunteer tributes, that Karl Vulcan volunteer, you know the hulking district two boy from last year? Well he was my favourite tribute in a long time. What we need is more enthusiastic tributes like him, geez most tributes around here are so, sulky! Get into the Games spirit for gods sake! If only he'd won. Words cannot describe how angry I was when that district six wimp snuck up on him during the night and killed him. Good thing district six got what was coming to her, later that day I unleashed a pack of mutts on her and she got served. She was ripped to pieces, and that's what she deserved for killing my favourite in such a cowardly, pathetic way." Tatiana grins manically.

I think back to what I saw on television last year, and I don't blame the poor girl for killing Karl the way she did. Karl was a huge threat and after his big alliance with the other volunteer tributes split up, he was arrogant enough to sleep out in the open. Karl was in plain sight of any nearby tribute and the district six girl saw him. She was smart and seized the opportunity to take out the biggest threat in the Games. Then I remember what training score Karl got. I ask, "How did Karl get a ten?"

Celsus replies, "He sparred with three trainers at once, and defeated them all within five minutes. He had excellent technique, attack, and defence. His fighting tactics were great most of the time, except at one point when he let his guard slip for a split second, getting a small cut on his arm."

I'm a little dumbstruck at how someone could take on and defeat three opponents at once. He certainly deserves better than a ten, maybe an eleven. I voice this, "It sounds like what he did was spectacular, how come he didn't score even higher?"

"He should've scored higher!" Tatiana exclaimed adamantly.

"Ah I was tempted to give him an eleven. What held him back to a ten was that he didn't have a variety of skills. He was a master sword fighter, yes, but in his private session he asked to be dismissed after beating the trainers in five minutes, apparently having nothing more to show us. And his little mishap of getting cut once," said Celsus.

I nod. It makes more sense now that Celsus has explained it. However I see Tatiana still fuming and muttering things like 'unfair', 'overly harsh', and 'tyranny' under her breath.

Celsus ignores her, pretending not to notice, "Which brings us to an eleven. I'd give out an eleven to a tribute who shows both phenomenal weapon _and_ survival skills with a creative element. They're extremely rare, with only a handful in the history of the Hunger Games."

Tatiana, seemingly getting over her previous upset is now focused on something else, "I remember the last time someone scored an eleven, it was Brooke Atlanta, the district four girl a few years back. She went on to become the victor of those Games, besides the other tributes were all weaklings that year aside from her."

I can recall watching Brooke on television. She was one of my favourites and I placed my bet on her to win.

Celsus explains, "In Brooke's private session, she called a trainer to try and take her down while she ran around the gym throwing knives at dummies as she passed them. She managed to stealthily dodge and evade the trainer's attacks, while making kill shots on every dummy. Brooke then sparred with the trainer, who she defeated within two minutes."

"Wow, that's amazing," I said breathlessly.

"I don't say this very often but I'm gonna have to admit, it was amazing to watch, one of the best performances I've ever seen. Too bad you weren't there Felix," said Tatiana.

Celsus continues, "That's not all. She jogged over to the berry identification station, quickly sorted the edible berries from the poisonous, ground up the poisonous berries into a juice which she then dipped her knife in, and carved an X with her poison dipped knife on every dummy she previously hit while knife throwing."

I take a look around and notice that meanwhile drinks have started being served at the table. Tatiana catches my eye, also glancing over and begins, "One more thing Felix, after being able to control the Games, the second best thing about being a Gamemaker is the food and drink we get to enjoy while watching some good private sessions. Well I'd better be off, I want a drink."

As Tatiana leaves, she gestures to a nearby avox, "Hey you, go pour me a drink!" Tatiana's voice fades into the chatter of the other Gamemakers.

Celsus starts, "Now that she's gone - "

There is a pause, then Celsus sighs and gestures to the other Gamemakers. "Ugh most of these guys are nothing but a bunch of sadistic loonies."

"Then why did you want to be a Gamemaker and bring me into it anyway, if you're against the Games?" I asked, curious to know what his intentions are.

Celsus says quietly, "I want to change the way the Games work."

I nervously glance around at the other Gamemakers, but they all seem preoccupied with drinks and the feast that's just getting served up. I look back at Celsus as if asking him to continue.

"I'm trying to get as many of my friends who are opposed to the Hunger Games with me in high Capitol ranks, together we have a bigger influence than if I were alone. I invited you cause I've always noticed you aren't air headed nor as enthusiastic about the Games as most people are."

Silence.

That's a lot for me to take in all at once. I must be looking bewildered because Celsus then says urgently, "We'll talk about this later, when we're in a _more suitable_ location. I'll give you all the details then. But for now, swear on your life to me you won't tell _anyone_ about this."

I have to listen very carefully to pick up what he's saying, since he's talking very fast in such a low voice. I nod. "I swear on mine and my mother's life," I said firmly.

Celsus goes back to what he was saying about training scores as if all that didn't just happen. He keeps his voice hushed though, "I suspect there's another way for a tribute to get an eleven."

I start to question loudly, "How else do you think - " but Celsus shoots a glare at me. I take the hint and lower my voice, "How else do you think a tribute can get an eleven?"

"While I was looking at the Hunger Games archives, I discovered an incidence where this girl scored an eleven, the first eleven ever given out in the history of the Hunger Games. It was years back before you and I were alive." Celsus murmured.

"Did she win?" I asked, even though I'm sure the answer's yes.

"No, and that's what I'm getting to." Seeing the shock on my face, Celsus begins to explain, "Naturally I wanted to find out about her so I watched reruns of her pre Games and Games. When the reapings played, hers was cut out even though they showed the boy from her district. In the opening ceremony, her chariot got no screen time. Neither did she appear in the interviews. She was only shown in the training scores broadcast getting an eleven, and in the Games, where she didn't display any spectacular skills at all. In fact she died on the second day, caught by the careers and killed. Also, part of her death was censored and deaths are usually played out in full, which leads me to believe she was rebellious."

"But why? Why an eleven?" I'm puzzled.

We continue to talk in hushed voices.

"The Gamemakers and President obviously wanted to get rid of her, so the Gamemakers gave her an eleven to get the careers to target her. A previously untrained outer district tribute outscoring them bruises their egos. They want to kill her for upstaging them. And they did, by hunting her down and taking her out early in the Games, on the second day."

In a twisted sort of way, that actually somewhat makes sense to me. But, careers? "Before, why did you keep saying 'the volunteer tributes from one, two, and four' when it was easier to just say 'careers'?" I questioned.

"We all know it's technically illegal for them to train before the Games, it's best if we just keep it unspoken when we're talking to others," replied Celsus.

I understand now, and decide it's best to quickly drop the subject, "So what about scoring a twelve?"

"First off, it's pretty much impossible. Theoretically to gain a twelve, a tribute would have to perfectly execute every weapon and survival skill there is. Even that's a near impossibility but let's say _if_ we get such a skilled tribute, a private session is only ten minutes long, not giving them enough time to show us all of those skills. That's why it's _never_ been scored before, ever."

"Could it be scored with the _other way_ you said before?" I asked, thinking that it might be able to.

"What I know for sure is that it hasn't happened yet. Like I said before, a tribute getting a twelve has never happened."

"Then what do you think?"

"From my experience, I'd reckon one day if there's a rebellious enough tribute, it's definitely a possibility."

I think about that for a few seconds.

As Celsus talks again, his voice is back at normal speaking volume, "One more thing, a tribute could show a combination of weapon and survival skills all at a certain level. Say if they have fair weapon skills _and_ a range of great survival skills. Typically each of those skills on their own would get them a score of six, but with both, their score could be pushed up one or two points, to a seven or eight. Also, creativity generally earns extra points too,"

That's pretty complicated. "I'll try and keep that straight in my head then," I said.

"In those cases, there's not really a strict guideline. Again just use your best judgement. Once you've had some experience and scored a couple of tributes you'll get the hang of it," added Celsus.

Just as Celsus finishes explaining the training scores, Head Gamemaker Julius Fairbanks tells us to quiet down, as the private sessions are about to begin.

He calls into the intercom, "District One Male, Quartz Sterling, report for private session."

Celsus gives me a last minute warning, "Oh and one last thing before we begin, never ever reveal to anyone, aside from another Gamemaker, about what the tributes show us during their private session. It's classified information, and if a word of you telling others about tributes' private sessions gets to the President, you'd better watch out."

Quartz confidently struts through the sliding doors and into the gym with a cocky smirk on his face, looking expectantly at us.

The Head Gamemaker stands up to greet him, "Quartz Sterling, you have ten minutes to impress us."

As Quartz jogs over to the spear station I watch him intently, ready to evaluate and score his performance.


End file.
